Barcelona vs Bilbao
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, they tie 2–2. Character is a different question: Barcelona is the city the modernistas built; Bilbao is the foundry that turned to art.
Change the matchup
Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Barcelona
130
Bilbao
21
Barcelona leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Barcelona
272
Bilbao
226
Bilbao leads
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Barcelona
23
Bilbao
2
Barcelona leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Barcelona
24
Bilbao
—
Barcelona leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Barcelona
9
Bilbao
10
Bilbao leads
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Barcelona
76
Bilbao
—
Barcelona leads
| What we measure | Barcelona | Bilbao | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 130 | 21 | Barcelona |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 272 | 226 | Bilbao |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 23 | 2 | Barcelona |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 24 | — | Barcelona |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 9 | 10 | Bilbao |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 76 | — | Barcelona |
Differences under 5% count as ties. Sample sizes and definitions on the methodology page.
What their stories are about
How many places with a story each city has per theme: Barcelona in orange, Bilbao in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Barcelona scorecard →
The city the modernistas built
Bilbao scorecard →
The foundry that turned to art